(Third person’s pov)

It was 6:15 AM.

Raina sat quietly in the back seat, staring at the message glowing on her phone screen.

We got him.

The city passed quietly outside the tinted windows while Malik drove through the early morning streets without speaking.

Her thumb hovered over the screen before she finally locked the phone and leaned back into the seat.

The inside of the car fell quiet.

And her mind slipped back to two days ago

TWO DAYS AGO....

"I have an idea on how to draw Malcolm out directly."

Frank’s voice had sounded unusually careful over the phone.

Raina already hated the tone before he continued.

"What kind of idea?"

"The kind that works," Frank said. "But you’re not going to like it."

The line went quiet briefly.

Then—

"Let’s use Ethan as bait."

"No way," Raina said immediately. "We’re not using him. I’m trying to keep him away from this, not drag him into it."

"Hear me out, boss," Frank replied calmly. "Malcolm had Ethan’s photo. My money says he’s following Ethan too. Since he knows you’re searching for him now, he’s avoiding you directly." A pause. "But Ethan? That’s different."

Raina stayed silent.

"Sooner or later," Frank continued, "he was always going to show up around Ethan."

And that was the problem.

Because Frank was right.

Raina hated how right he was.

"Let me watch Ethan," Frank said. "The moment Malcolm shows himself, we grab him before he disappears again."

Raina leaned back slowly that night, staring at the ceiling above her.

It was a good plan.

A dangerous one.

But still good.

And Malcolm had stayed hidden for far too long already.

"I’ll call Tengu," she said finally. "You’re not doing this alone. Malcolm’s an ex-boxer. If things go wrong, I’d rather you come back alive."

Frank laughed quietly.

"Appreciated."

"I’m serious."

"I know."

Raina exhaled slowly.

"Watch Ethan carefully," she said. "And Frank..."

"Yeah?"

"Do not let him see you this time."

A grin entered Frank’s voice instantly.

"Still mad about the cotton candy stand?"

"You embarrassed me professionally."

"That’s impossible. You’re terrifying."

"Frank."

"Right. Serious mode."

Raina rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"You already blew your cover once. Ethan knows your face now."

"You can count on me, boss."

The call ended.

Raina called Tengu immediately afterward.

True to his word, he arranged backup within the hour.

Three men.

Experienced.

Efficient.

One of them was Jun.

Jun barely spoke. Thin frame. Glasses. Usually hidden behind multiple surveillance screens glowing across a laptop. He was the reason Tengu had managed to narrow over a hundred Rhonda Steins down to four in less than a day.

Jun could access security feeds from places he legally had no business touching.

Which was exactly why Raina needed him.

The memory shifted again.

YESTERDAY.....

Malik drove her to the hospital after Ethan told her Grace was finally being discharged.

The lilies rested carefully in her lap during the ride.

White.

Fresh.

Grace’s favorite.

Outside the hospital entrance, a black sedan sat parked across the street with dark tinted windows.

Raina didn’t look at it for long.

She simply unlocked her phone and typed.

All set?

Frank replied almost immediately.

All set.

Everything afterward had unfolded normally.

Or at least it looked normal.

Grace’s discharge papers.

Dr. Kade reviewing medication instructions one final time.

Nathan carrying bags while talking nonstop.

Ethan introducing Raina properly this time.

His girlfriend.

The word still lingered warmly in her chest whenever she thought about it.

And through all of it—

Frank stayed nearby.

Watching.

Waiting.

Following from a distance.

By the time Ethan and his family finally returned home later that night, Jun already had access to most of the surrounding security cameras near Ethan’s apartment.

Rainwater streaked softly across the sedan windshield while camera feeds shifted rapidly across Jun’s laptop screen.

Street corner.

Apartment entrance.

Rear pathway.

Side alley.

Then Jun suddenly leaned forward slightly.

"Movement."

Frank looked up immediately.

A hooded figure appeared on one of the camera feeds.

Male.

Tall.

Moving carefully toward the alley beside Ethan’s apartment building.

Frank narrowed his eyes.

"Zoom."

Jun enlarged the footage.

Not enough for a full face.

But enough.

The posture.

The movement.

The way he stayed close to the shadows.

Frank’s expression hardened instantly.

"That’s him."

The car doors opened immediately.

Tengu’s men moved without hesitation.

One circled toward the back pathway while another crossed the street casually pretending to check his phone.

Frank stayed near the alley entrance, eyes fixed ahead.

Everything depended on timing.

Before Malcolm said too much.

Before Ethan recognized him.

Before the situation lost control.

Jun’s voice came quietly through Frank’s earpiece.

"He’s approaching Ethan now."

Frank looked up just in time to see Ethan turn toward the shadows.

"Whoever you are," Ethan called sharply, "why are you following me?"

Malcolm froze briefly beneath the dim light.

Then—

A loud metallic crash exploded somewhere deeper inside the alley.

One of Tengu’s men had slammed a trash bin sideways across the pavement.

The noise echoed violently between the buildings.

Ethan turned instinctively toward the sound. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

And the moment he did—

Malcolm ran.

"Move!" Frank shouted immediately.

The chase exploded through the narrow residential pathways.

Rainwater splashed beneath pounding footsteps while Malcolm sprinted between parked cars and low fences without slowing once.

Fast.

Much faster than Frank expected.

"He’s heading east side!" Jun shouted through the earpiece while tracking nearby cameras. "Cut him off!"

One of Tengu’s men vaulted a fence trying to intercept.

Missed him by inches.

Malcolm cut sharply through another side passage and nearly disappeared behind an apartment block before Frank spotted him again beneath another streetlight.

"There!"

Frank sprinted harder.

Breathing rough now.

The alley narrowed ahead.

Malcolm jumped another low barrier.

One of the men grabbed his hoodie briefly—

Malcolm slammed an elbow backward hard enough to break free instantly.

"Shit!"

He kept running.

Jun’s voice came again.

"Dead end ahead!"

Frank saw it immediately.

A narrow service passage boxed in by concrete walls and locked fencing.

Malcolm reached it.

Stopped.

Turned sharply.

And Tengu’s men hit him at once.

All three crashed violently onto the wet pavement.

Malcolm fought like an animal.

Elbows.

Knees.

Wild force beneath trained movement.

One punch landed clean across a man’s jaw hard enough to stagger him backward.

Frank moved in immediately.

The white cloth pressed tightly over Malcolm’s mouth and nose.

Malcolm jerked violently beneath them.

Still fighting.

Still trying to break free.

Then slower.

Then weaker.

Then still.

The alley finally went quiet except for heavy breathing and distant rain dripping from broken gutters.

Frank crouched beside him briefly.

"So you’re Malcolm."

No response.

Frank stood.

"Tie him."

Zip ties locked around Malcolm’s wrists.

Another around his ankles.

The trunk opened moments later.

They shoved him inside.

Then the car disappeared into the night.

PRESENT TIME.

The warehouse stood isolated near the edge of the industrial district surrounded by rusted fencing and abandoned storage buildings.

Cold morning air drifted through broken upper windows while Malik slowly pulled the car to a stop outside.

Raina stared at the warehouse silently.

Somewhere inside sat the man who had spent months watching her from the shadows.

But not anymore.

Now Malcolm was waiting for her instead.

She went in ...